Anna Maria Mendieta is a professional harpist from the United States best known for pioneering the harp as a contemporary tango instrument. She is the founder, artistic director, and harpist for Tango del Cielo, an award-winning album and international touring show. Career Anna Maria is the principal harpist with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and previously served as the principal harpist with the Women’s Philharmonic for nearly 20 years. Ms. Mendieta was the featured instrumentalist for several seasons with Theater Flamenco of San Francisco. She has also performed with symphony orchestras in the U.S. and abroad, including the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, Russian National Orchestra, and Russian State Ballet. Mendieta has received international recognition in 2007 as a pioneer and "exceptional soloist" (League of American Orchestras) for becoming the first harpist to play the first Argentine tango concerto ever written. Innovations in tango Mendieta has been recognized internationally as an innovator in the world of harp and has helped create a new genre for the instrument. Mendieta considered the harp a perfect vehicle for tango, and has since spent years advocating for the form. It was since the 1990’s that Mendieta became fascinated with Argentine Tango but quickly discovered that there was no music for the harp. Argentine tradition set apart “classical” instruments like the harp from the genre (the only use of the harp was for glissando sound effects in the 1930s). After many years of collecting tango music written for other instruments, she created her own arrangements and invented a new technique, one that allowed the hard to execute the stylistic nature, difficult chromatic passages, and percussive effects that characterize tango music. She was introduced to close friends and colleagues of the late tango composer Astor Piazzolla. Piazzolla had created Nuevo Tango (a sub-genre that combined tango with jazz and modern classical), so by working with Piazzolla’s closest colleagues and artistic collaborators, Mendieta has created a new vision for tango and harp. Mendieta studied tango (the dance) and quickly realized her passion for both art forms. Mendieta's “Harp-Tango” project has developed into a multimedia touring concert-show called “Tango Del Cielo”. The show presents a fusion of tango and flamenco with a tribute to the silent films. Mendieta’s Tango Del Cielo show was the featured show at the 2019 World Tango Festival in Victoria, Canada. The Tango Del Cielo for Harp & Orchestra has